


Mars is the color of passion

by Bacner



Series: Stars are cold toys [3]
Category: Ad Astra (2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - post-movie, Children, Earth, Eve McBride is a journalist, F/M, Family Relationships - Freeform, Gen, Helen has echoes of MCU's Raina, Interview, Mars, Moon, Negga's amazing eyelashes, Not a Crossover, Pitt's killer profile, Terraforming, families, man-woman relationships, relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2019-09-25
Packaged: 2020-10-28 06:20:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20773946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bacner/pseuds/Bacner
Summary: Roy and Helen confront Eve... at an interview.





	Mars is the color of passion

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lila_luscious1](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lila_luscious1/gifts).

> Disclaimer: all characters belong to their respective owners.

…When Helen Lantas actually did meet Eve at last, it was a less than epic meeting, to both of their surprises, even though Eve’s interview and consequent appearance had been arranged earlier.

“I ask you, no I ask you,” Helen sputtered in some genuine wrath, “if you have ever met such a fraud? The box with the supposed ‘little paleontologist’ kit is as big as a small laptop; inside about two-thirds is plastic placeholder, holding a block of hard clay that takes up most of the remaining style and some very small, thin and delicate plastic toy chisel, mallet and brush. Our nieces – with our help – have went at this hard dry clay with those chisel, mallet and brush to chip out a couple of dino skeleton models that are small enough to be comfortably put onto their mother’s hairbrush. That is small enough for their baby brother to choke on – and it is all been packaged in a box big enough to hold a small laptop. Where’s the justice, I ask you, where’s the justice, where’s the justice…and you are the reporter that was supposed to interview us today, aren’t you? Crap. Can we start again?”

Eve could not help it. She broke into giggles. “I can see now why you two have fallen in love,” she addressed her ex-husband, (also present in the room – it was to be a joint interview). “She’s good for you, Roy. She brings you out of your shell.”

“She- I- That isn’t the only reason why I’m out of your shell,” Roy sputtered. “Eve-“

“Yes, I’ve been there, I’ve seen your testimony in court – both of yours, actually, via TV.”

“Surprised that you weren’t there – the media gallery had been full,” Helen commented idly.

“That’s because I was ironically in space, making my report on the Moon-Mars connection, among other things,” Eve helpfully explained.

“Since there is no Moon-Mars connection, not direct one, I’m guessing that this was what your report was about?” By now, Helen has collected herself and the signs of the shrewd Martian facility director were showing clearly in her facial expression and body language.

“Yes,” Eve did not back down either. “And I thought that Earth’s attitude towards our natural satellite and cosmic companion was bad.”

“Ms.-“

“Just call me Eve.”

“Ms. Eve. As you should have learned on Mars, we are still human and still Terran, for the lack of a proper lingo. Quite a few of us come from the less posh parts of Terran society, such as the suburbs of NYC and the like. This makes us naturally hardy and pre-inclined for life on Mars, but nevertheless, as the recent events have showed, we are neither ready nor willing to live Earth behind. If the Lima disaster had happened not in our time but in the next generation’s, things could have been different, I don’t deny it, but it happened here and now, in the recent past, and our planets have cooperated to pull through this together, so there’s that. Next question.”

There was a pause as everyone stared at the speaker transforming quite smoothly from an indignant (but loving) aunt into one of Mars’ top civilian administrators. Eve’s camera operator gave director Lantas a thumbs’-up gesture.

“Don’t I know you?” Roy spoke up to the man, possibly trying to join the interview, or maybe just being himself. 

“Yes, Roy, this is Jimmy; he’s been my camera operator since ever, and my brother-in-law for almost as long,” Eve sighed, before switching her attention back to the other woman. 

“This was one of the reasons we’ve divorced. For years the two of us worked on having a marriage – ‘worked’ is the key word, and here is my sister, Lucy, and her husband here having something entirely different – something entirely more natural, and I realized that I had no idea as to where the Hell we were going, and that I didn’t want no part of it…” she trailed away. “Roy, just for the record? You did do you part in making our marriage work, but it was not doing either of us any favors. Sometimes you just need to rip the Band-Aid of, to let it go…”

“I know,” Roy quietly replied, “I’ve been there. I’m sorry, Eve-“

“You got nothing to be sorry for,” the other woman replied firmly. “You did your best.” She narrowed her own eyes. “And did you enjoy working on the toy clay tablet with the girls-?”

“Honestly, I enjoyed the process more than the final goal; I’m keeping cautiously positive in presuming that the toy company released those… mini-models with the goal of children having fun in the process, not reaching the goal as fast as possible…” he glared at Helen, who looked honestly sheepish.

“Sorry about that,” she looked back. “Throughout most of my life I did my best, consciously and not, to channel gran-gran Dot, who is the most amazing woman that I’ve ever known, aside from my mother. Gran-gran can be something of a goal-oriented woman herself, you know…but the girls still had fun. Thanks for keeping me reined in and not ruining their day.”

“I think that I’ve heard something similar from your relatives on Mars,” Eve cautiously said. 

“Please tell me that you’ve talked to cousin Evita – aunt Mitifu is something else, I would say!” the other woman replied brightly.

“… I have kind of interviewed both of them,” Eve smiled back just as brightly. 

“Was Evita able to rein-in our aunt and her children?” Helen did not blink.

“She did her best!” Eve smiled cherubically. 

“…What am I missing?” Roy muttered uncomfortable. 

“Evita’s mother, my other aunt, Chantelle, was in charge of Earth-Mars immigration since I was shorter than this table here,” Helen drummed her fingers on the table in question, even as she shifted to face Roy. “She has retired a few weeks before you arrived on Mars on your quest be-cause of health related reasons. Cousin Evita took over from her, whereas auntie Mitifu and her family are in charge of the water supply.” She paused. “I’m aware that I’m sounding like a snob and – like my biological father’s family, but I have nothing in common with auntie Mitifu and her side of family…” she exhaled. “So, how did you find them?” she asked Eve, looking very fragile all of a sudden.

“…They’re an acquired taste,” the other woman admitted, “but they are good people. They, uh, explained to me that there’s just as much water on Mars as there is on Earth, but it can exist above ground only as ice; to have it accessible as a liquid, it has to be moved along below ground.”

“Yes, we all owe a lot to auntie Mitifu and her family and their co-workers,” Helen looked away first. “I really should start mend bridges with her some more, but first,” she looked back to Roy, looking coyly through her most amazing eyelashes. “I want you to meet auntie Chantelle first. She isn’t much different from auntie Mitifu, but less…overwhelming.”

“I would like that,” Roy muttered, in part distracted by the director’s amazing eyelashes, but not that much. 

“Good,” both women said as one, before blinking and looking at each other.

“Roy needs this, especially now that his father is gone and done for good,” Eve spoke first, “and he can begin to live again, for real this time. Roy,” she shifted and looked at her ex, “good luck. Director Lantas, any closing comments about the Moon?”

“The Moon, Ms. Eve, was humanity’s first attempt at terraforming, and as far as we on Mars are concerned, the humanity has blown it,” Helen replied crisply and professionally. “The Moon is a mess; the only point of contention is how much of a mess it is. Part of the reason as to why the communications between our planets is so – feeble is because we prefer to contact with Earth directly, rather than use the Moon as a mid-way stop. It is expensive and not as reliable, but the Moon is increasingly proving to be just as expensive and unreliable; it has become our generation’s Wild West, apparently.”

“…You have watched my report, haven’t you?” Eve, who recognized her own lines quoted back at her, frowned in suspicion.

“…More like my family did – it was aired at the same time that we were experiencing the joys of being a young paleontologist,” Helen muttered. “Remind me, again, to apologize to my nieces again – just in case. I might have gotten away-“

“Will do,” Roy nodded, before catching himself. “I mean-“

“I mean good luck, again,” Eve sighed and got onto her feet. “Director Lantas – nice to have met you in person at last. Roy – I wish you best with the rest of your life. I’ll see you around.”

And she was gone.

End

**Author's Note:**

> The incident with the dinosaur model happened in real life to our neighbors. What a rip-off.


End file.
